Seals

Description

Seals are used to join mechanisms together in order to prevent or control the leakage. A variety of sealing products are available to suit different industrial and commercial applications. Seals are made up of diverse materials such as rubber, plastics, metals, leather, etc. Rubber elements include polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), EDPM, fluoroelastomer, nitrile, nylon, polyurethane, natural rubber, etc. Metallic materials include stainless steel, aluminum, sintered bronze, and cast iron.

Types

Major types of industrial seals are listed below:

• Mechanical seals: Mechanical seals are used to avoid leakage between a rotary shaft and its casing under high pressure, shaft speed and temperature; the seal is either internally or externally mounted
• Hydraulic & Pneumatic seals: Hydraulic and pneumatic seals are used for reciprocating motion in high pressure applications; some hydraulic and pneumatic seals are composite in structure
• Oil seals: Oil seals are used to retain the lubricants or fluids; oil seals consist of a flexible lip to rub against a shaft

Other types of seals are listed below:

• Shaft seals
• Gaskets
• Piston rings
• O rings
• Diaphragm seals
• Gland packing
• Hermetic seals
• Compression seals
• Labyrinth seals
• Vacuum seals
• Specialty seals

Specifications

The specifications of sealing products include:

• Sealing orientation
• Dimensions (inner or outer diameter and thickness)
• Operating speed
• Pressure
• Temperature

Advantages

Seals offer the following benefits:

• Offers high operational life
• Less expensive
• Improves machine performance
• Reduces wear and tear
• High resistance to abrasives

Applications

The applications of seals are listed below:

• Mechanical seals are used in pumps, mixer and agitator applications
• Hydraulic seals are used in cylinders and valves
• Oil seals find their application is chemical processing ,food and pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbon processing, primary metals, pulp and paper, aggregate, and mining industries